LLeTronic Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Does anyone else realise this massive cargo plane is over 50 years old now? All other guppy aircraft have retired well before this one - NASA obviously keeps theirs in tip top condition. I'm surprised it hasn't received any sort of avionics upgrade, the B-377's manual/analog controls are ancient. So ancient that it still requires a crew of four. Oh well, it gets from A to B! But if it does encounter any sort of technical/fuselage problems in the near future I doubt NASA would spend any of its tight budget on an aircraft that was manufactured in the 60's with no guarantees that it could fly again. Anyone want to have a wild stab or accurate guess as to how much longer we can expect this aircraft to remain operational for? I really have no idea. P.S I'm NEW, so I'll say hello in this thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 The worst thing about the Strato cruiser was the engines. The Allison turboprops are much better than the radials although the props get a lot of cracks and have vibration monitors. I doubt they do high hours and don't appear to be pressurised, so if there is a use for them perhaps they can last for a long time. Some of those earlier airframes are quite strong and can accumulate a lot of hours without major structural problems. 60,000 wouldn't be impossible, if they are a sound basic airframe. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now